Belle Gibson took the world by storm when her claims of surviving brain cancer through natural and alternative medicine were revealed to be a scam. By the time her claims were proven to be false, she had already made a lot of money from her app and cookbook called The Whole Pantry.
Years after her scam was exposed and she was fined by the Federal Court in Australia, Gibson reportedly has yet to pay the $440,000 fine to Consumer Affairs Victoria. Gibson’s empire reportedly earned in the millions during its heyday but the con artist has reportedly failed to pay the fines.
Belle Gibson is yet to pay $440,000 in fines to the Australian court
Health fraud is truly one of the most despicable things one can do (not that other scams are in any way morally good). Australian influencer Belle Gibson became widely followed and gained success for her claims of beating brain cancer through alternative therapy and reportedly made millions from her food app and cookbook.
Gibson also claimed that she was donating much of the profits to charity and reportedly also made a bunch of sob-story claims about her life, all of which were found to be untrue. She was the subject of a Netflix docu-series called The Search of Instagram’s Worst Con-Artist and a series from Netflix titled Apple Cider Vinegar.
The Australian fraudster was found guilty way back in 2017 and was fined $410,000 along with $30,000 in legal costs. The con artist has reportedly still not paid those fines, despite several summons and raids on her properties. However, the Australian Consumer Affairs Department has claimed that they will not let it go (via The Guardian),
Behind the TV stories, behind the dramatization, are real people who have had their lives devastated by the actions of this individual. Consumer Affairs Victoria is continuing to pursue this, particularly in the context of the orders that have been made by the court. There are fines outstanding and Consumer Affairs Victoria is pursuing this constantly and consistently and won’t let up.
Belle Gibson has reportedly not been paid for her story being adapted into the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar.
Belle Gibson wrote a letter to the court detailing her debts
Australian con artist Belle Gibson reportedly claimed that her scams were made under delusion and that she genuinely believed she had brain cancer. The lady swindled many people, who were vulnerable cancer patients through an app that was ranked first on Apple’s best food and drink app in 2013 and her cookbook published by Penguin.
However, when the time came to pay her fines to court, she reportedly claimed that she was in debt and had no money. Owing over $440,000 in fines, Gibson reportedly wrote a letter to the Consumer Affairs court that she only had $5,000 to her name (via News),
I advise that I only have minor property assets to the value of $5000. I receive a Parenting Allowance that I am fully reliant on to raise my son. At present, I am not working…I am not able to pay the amounts ordered by (Federal Court) Justice (Debra) Mortimer.
Gibson was said to be on the run and was even reportedly adopted by an Ethiopian community in Melbourne and was renamed Sabontu. She was reportedly later removed from the community after they discovered her backstory (via Capital FM).
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